


no, it hurts a little

by kbirb



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Allison Argent is a cutie pie, Found Family, Gen, MAMA MCCALL IS THE BEST, Physical Abuse, isaac calls her mama mccall ok, just a scary cutie pie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-08 12:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4304583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbirb/pseuds/kbirb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles Stilinski decided to fix a bunch of lives for some strange reason and, unfortunately, Isaac was swept up into the mess. It wasn't all bad though.</p><p>"Over the next couple of months, Isaac made a list of things he knew about Melissa Mccall.<br/>1. She made amazing mac n cheese<br/>2. Arguably the best nurse at the hospital<br/>3. Rarely home because of work (see point #2)<br/>4. Scott is her sunshine<br/>5. Perpetually exasperated by: Scott’s adoption of Isaac, Stiles’ meddling, Isaac’s refusals of help<br/>6. Sees through all of Isaac’s bullshit<br/>7. REALLY persistent"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lynxzpanther](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynxzpanther/gifts).
  * Inspired by [This Doesn't Hurt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2034597) by [metisket](https://archiveofourown.org/users/metisket/pseuds/metisket). 



> Credit must be given to [metisket](http://archiveofourown.org/users/metisket/pseuds/metisket), who wrote the [Play it Again series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/132147). Thank you for a fic better than canon and for inspiring this piece. I owe you for pulling me out of a writing slump, really.
> 
> And to [Jenny](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lynxzpanther), who should have beta read this, but I decided to gift it to her instead. Thank you for encouraging me last night. This was worth the hand cramp, two hours of maniacal scribbling in a notebook (I accidentally started in the back so there's that), and sleep deprived transferring to a laptop. 
> 
> I hope that everyone enjoys, because Isaac Lahey is my sunshine and this was sometimes sad to write. 2 AM wasn't a pretty place...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for loving this enough to give it kudos. I love you guys. I cried while rereading this. Good luck.

Truth be told, Isaac didn’t believe Erica about the “treatment" she was undergoing. Sure, at first he did, and it freaked him out. She was his best friend, his only friend, and he’d have to do senior year without her. And she wouldn’t be graduating this year! Like, what was that about? But if Isaac’s life was going to continue to be hell, than at least Erica could sort hers out. Even if, in hindsight, he could see all of her tells. She played with her hair, bit her lower lip, and tapped her heels when she lied. Isaac could see right through her, but it also wasn’t his place to point it out. So he didn’t, but he thought it was all strange. Plus, Stiles Stilinski was involved, and Isaac thought that kid was weird.

Like, seriously, who did he think he was? When they were younger, Stiles never gave them an ounce of attention, which of course led to the unintentional breakage of hearts. Or, more specifically, Erica’s heart. In Isaac's world that was a pretty unforgivable offence. One that warranted perpetual mistrust. Erica _did_ seem to be over it. Although… Isaac was willing to bet if you asked Erica to speak to Lydia Martin, she’d blanch. So he had every right to react the same way to Stiles. They were pretty good at holding grudges.

Then again, Isaac didn’t seem to know his best friend at all anymore, so who knew what else was going on. Isaac was really confused about a lot of people. The Hale twins, for instance, were taking Erica in. “They had a family member go through the treatment,” she’d explained to him. And then, that weird Scott Mccall friend of Stiles was talking to him. Unsolicited “hello”s and “how are you”s in the hallway. Stiles was… making friends? Well, he managed to get Lydia to acknowledge him and the older Hales to hang out with him. Which is more than he would have ever done before. The past year, Stiles and Scott had visibly been growing apart, but recently it had seemed like Stiles was back with a vengeance against the unseen force that had caused that rift. Well, Isaac had heard the rumors of what had caused the rift. Along with Stiles and Scott's rekindled brotherly behaviors had come a group of students who visibly ran away from Stiles in the hallway. Stiles was confident and looked to all the world like Scott Mccall's fiercest protector again. Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski were often seen in the parking lot after lacrosse practice. Isaac had a feeling there was something more there, with the ways the Stiles would often neatly fit Derek between his legs while he sat on his Jeep. But, he couldn't confirm it. Suddenly, Stiles was _cool_. 

Plus, there was that weird lunch. The one before Erica left. She’d made him sit with Boyd, of all people. Boyd was scary! Isaac didn’t do scary. At the very least, Boyd had decided to share his fries with Isaac, which Isaac assumed had to be positive. He'd had worse responses to friendship attempts (also known as the time he tried to talk to Jackson Whittemore and Danny Mahealani when they were younger, which was the last time he'd tried to make friends). And Scott was there, and Stiles. In fact, Stiles had mother henned them into sitting together. Further proof that kid was just plain fucking weird. He left them cheerfully, mission complete. Told them to care of Scott and then rushed off. Afterwards, Scott did say something funny and managed to make Isaac laugh which was a first. Isaac preferred not to laugh unless Erica told the joke.

The big problem was, Scott seemed really determined to take care of Isaac. It was as if he knew Isaac’s home life. Which was impossible, because he’d worked really hard to hide it from the world. There was no way Mccall could see through his bullshit, Isaac was careful. He always made sure to get slammed around at lacrosse (Jackson practically targeted him anyway) and then claim he was easily bruised. Which was true, once upon a time, when Isaac was young and his mom was around. Every tumble he took resulted in a bruise or a cut. Isaac was so clumsy as a kid… Which worked out well when Isaac’s mom was gone and Isaac was Dad’s new punching bag. When he was little, he was convinced it was all an accident, like when Dad had thrown that plate at Mom, but it had hit Isaac anyway? That was an accident, so when Dad first beat him, that had to be an accident, too. Years down the line, many accidents later, Isaac’s skin was pretty thick now. The only thing that ever bruised or split him was a lesson from Mr. Lahey. But Isaac was supposed to be the only one privy to that knowledge. And Erica, but she pretended she didn’t know and always kept her mouth shut. She certainly wouldn’t have told Stiles; maybe the kid really did tap phones like Erica had hypothesized. All Isaac knew was that when Stiles started making friends, Scott did too. And Scott had picked Isaac.

At first, it was just a big annoyance. Stiles and Scott would talk to him in the locker room, sit with him in the bleachers, and bother him in the halls. Then, Scott started inviting Isaac over to hang out. Stiles was off with the older Hales and Scott’s attentions were on Isaac. And New Girl Allison. Honestly, if Isaac hadn’t witnessed Scott go visibly doe eyed about her, he’d have thought Scott had been trying to ask him out.

“Hey Isaac,” Scott would begin, leaning casually against the lockers after their senior English class. “What’re you doing tonight?”

For a week, Isaac would give him the same response. “Working.” He’d shoot him an apologetic smile, shift his backpack over his shoulder, and walk off before Scott could ask more. It was as if Isaac was lying. Mr. Lahey owned the Beacon Hills cemetery and a night off was rare for Isaac lately. Studying by flashlight was a normal routine, and coffee had become his best friend at an early age.

Scott was surprisingly upset and Stiles was visibly frustrated. So, it was actually a relief when Isaac finally got a day off. He could hang out with Scott once, convince him being friends wasn’t going to work, and life could be normal. Days off were usually reserved for Erica, but… Well, Isaac had a free Saturday and he’d use it on Scott Mccall. Even when Isaac wasn’t expected to be at the cemetery, his dad wanted to know where he was, but Isaac thought it best he didn’t know today. So he lied about lacrosse practice and even prepared meals for his father’s day. When Isaac got a whole day off, it meant Dad wanted to do a double shift at the cemetery, so he’d do his afternoon one, and then Isaac’s (pun intended) graveyard shift. He also was in a good mood. Isaac had long ago learned that these good moods didn’t always last long and to fear the downslide. But Erica had taught him to live in the moment when he was free.

Annoyingly, Scott’s number had been in Isaac’s phone from when Coach made them all program the team roster in. Which meant Scott had his, although clearly the kid hadn’t thought that far, because Isaac never received obnoxious texts from him. So, Isaac called Scott.

“Isaac!” The dude sounded overjoyed, and Isaac could only imagine an oversized puppy bouncing excitedly around.

“Do the hangout offers still stand?”

And that’s how Isaac found himself at the Mccall residence, playing video games and eating mass amounts of pizza rolls.

\--

Over the next couple of months, Isaac made a list of things he knew about Melissa Mccall.

  1. She made amazing mac n cheese

  2. Arguably the best nurse at the hospital

  3. Rarely home because of work (see point #2)

  4. Scott is her sunshine

  5. Perpetually exasperated by: Scott’s adoption of Isaac, Stiles’ meddling, Isaac’s refusals of help

  6. Sees through _all_ of Isaac’s bullshit

  7. REALLY persistent




Mrs. Mccall had been doing point #6 since Isaac stepped into her home. She refused to believe he ate enough food. Or owned anything beyond his favorite cardigan. They bickered a lot, but Isaac was truly grateful for a warm bed on bad nights and for the extra sandwiches that had started appearing in Scott’s lunch a week into their friendship.

Except, Dad start noticing. And his good mood - his record month long good mood - fades away. Isaac receives the worst beating he’d been dealt in a very long time. Dad came in while Isaac was laying on the living room floor, pouring over his physics notes for the test he had the next day. The bad bruising was all on his ribs; he’d blacked out while Dad kicked him repeatedly. The only blessing, Isaac thought morbidly after Dad left, was that he’d been barefoot. The addition of his steel toed work boots would have resulted in cracked ribs and an actual hospital trip. Plus, maybe Dad’s foot would sting. Isaac’s side sure did, and he lay on the floor for about an hour with tears in his eyes, unable to even move, lest he cry out from pure pain.

The only problem was that Melissa Mccall was smart. So while Isaac could avoid the hospital, he couldn’t avoid her. She could sense an injury from a mile away, like a shark could smell blood. And that meant when Isaac stopped by the next day to see Scott, a huge argument ensued. Isaac wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that Scott’s date with Allison was running late. On one hand, he didn’t want Scott to see him like this. Scott also hated when his mom and Isaac bickered. But, on the other hand, he had no plausible escape route. But he decided it was for the best. Might as well get a big fight about injuries over with. Sure, Scott was aware that Isaac’s home life wasn’t sunshine and roses, but to what extent his awareness was, Isaac couldn’t tell. It was better to try and keep it from him. Then again, Scott was Stiles’ best friend… And Stiles had recently become worryingly omniscient.

One of Isaac’s coping skills was to be removed. If you weren’t in the moment, the words being hurled at you didn’t sting. The hits could go unfelt until it was all over. But removing himself didn’t mean he didn’t fight back verbally, because Isaac was good with biting sarcasm. All’s fair in love and war, so Isaac had his skills. It was just that Dad’s skills hurt and could shut Isaac up. So yelling was his defense. Sometimes he didn’t even know what he yelled, which is what happened the day Melissa Mccall insisted on examining his rib wound. Later in life, she’d tell him that every time they fought, he looked like he was “expecting things to be thrown at him” and it broke her heart.

Then, she did something he didn’t expect. She faced him from across the room and pulled The Mom Card. Calmly, no yelling, she just said: “I’m a mom.” Isaac had varying reactions to that play, but it was always unfair. When she said it to him today, he could only think that _moms were never much use to him before_.

But, outloud, he simply replies “you’re not _my_ mom.”

Isaac kind of hated Scott’s mom - but only because she wasn’t shitty. Instead of using violence, she literally just threatened to cry on him. Cry on him. She was just weird and Isaac hated that he didn’t know how to deal with her. It took the fairness out of it.

When Mrs. Mccall poked his ribs, he almost cried. Instead, he masked it with a hiss of pain.

Then, she does something _really_ unfair and unexpected. She opens up to him. About how Scott’s dad used to drink all this alcohol and say these really awful things. When bruises started appearing on Scott, she kicked him out. “I think he thought they were accidents. That his dad didn’t mean to do it. Thing was, I knew his dad better than he did.”

Maybe that’s why Stiles had sent Scott to Isaac. Because it turns out, Scott’s dad sucked, too. Baby Scott had experienced bruises and cuts. But Scott was trusting and Stiles never trusted anyone. He was smart; he probably saw through Mr. Mccall the way he probably saw through Mr. Lahey.

Isaac sticks to his table story anyway. He’s not ready, he has no reason to trust Melissa Mccall. But she sticks to not believing him. The only way he could end the discussion was to promise not to play lacrosse for a week. She’ll hold him to that. He knows it.

\--

There are two weeks where Isaac misses school. And they’re a scary two weeks, in the way that an eye of the storm is scary. CPS had come to his house with all these questions. Isaac’s dad wasn’t home, thankfully, so Isaac thought he was safe. He spun a lot of lies. Luckily, his dad hadn’t left any bruises or cuts on him, and the CPS guy cleared the home. Told Isaac that he was safe there, sorry for the inconvenience. Isaac breathed a sigh of relief when they left. The issue was that they apparently still needed to call his dad, and they did.

Mr. Lahey came home for work, but the scary part, the eye of the storm part, was that he wasn’t violent. His voice was level and he decided to ground Isaac. But he also grounded him from school, which was probably illegal, but he called in with a “family emergency” and they’d bought it. After Isaac texted the Mccalls that they’d had a family emergency and to _please_ not pursue the issue, he got his phone taken from him. Days and nights were spent working at the cemetery.

Stiles did come to see him, toting homework, promising that he wasn’t going to let Isaac fall behind. “Don’t worry, Scott doesn’t know I’m here. I won’t tell him, as long as you’re safe. You’re safe, right?” Before Isaac could even respond, Stiles continued. “Anyway, I made sure Scott bought your story. I’m sure his mom didn’t, but I’m keeping her away. Your dad’s coming, so I’m going to run now.” Isaac stuck the bag of books under his chair and his dad was none the wiser to the visitor.

Then, the grace period ended. The good thing was that Isaac could go back to school. Thankfully, Scott and Stiles were out his first day back, because Isaac needed a break. Unfortunately, Boyd was full of questions, because he’d been accidentally left out of the loop.

Boyd and Isaac had been getting close, and Boyd actually wasn’t very scary at all. In fact, he was downright awesome, and he also had a massive thing for Erica. “I dunno man, I just wanna protect her. You know? Like she’s so cute and fragile and great. I just always assumed you guys were dating cause you were so freakin’ inseparable.” Isaac was determined to make that a thing. If he ever saw his best friend again…

\--

The day Isaac’s dad hit him again, it was two months before his 18th birthday It was also really unexpected. They were having steak tonight. Isaac had found it on sale and wanted to surprise his dad with a nice meal since everything hadn’t been so sucky lately. But then the steak was too raw, his dad was so drunk and just screaming, and Isaac defended himself. And got a black eye as a reward for what he’d done, for the niceness he tried to show. For the insolence of defending himself.

He tried to use the “two months” logic on Mama Mccall (his name for her in his head) but she was not buying it. No, she was freaking out on him. She wanted to take a picture of his face, for fucks sake. Hadn’t she learned from last time? He tried to explain to her that even the CPS guy used the “you’ll be 18 soon” logic on him, which meant that it was clearly a reasonable excuse.

Unfortunately, Scott was also home at the time, and he was really distraught. He tried to step in multiple times, but both parties brushed him off.

Isaac didn’t get her reasoning. It’s not like Dad would ever get in trouble. Isaac would claim lacrosse incident - he had enough self-preservation to lie. Plus, as much as his old man sucked, Isaac loved him. They had good moments, and Mr. Lahey had never walked out on him. He could stick out two months. He’d be fine.

They fought a bit, until he caved under multiple promises she’d keep the photo to herself and that it would just be incase things got really _really_ bad in the next two months. According to Scott, his mom kept her promises, including letting him get a bike for cooking dinner and also gluing his iPod to the ceiling. Weird family.

\--

A week after his 18th birthday, Isaac moved out of his dad’s house for good, and into his bedroom at the Mccall house. They went after school; Isaac’s dad wasn’t supposed to be there, but he was, and very drunk. As he, Boyd, Allison, and Scott carried his stuff out, the threats being thrown their way felt empty. Devoid of meaning, because Isaac was 18 and his dad couldn’t touch him. He was free. Legally. No more would he fear being hit for a too raw piece of meat or a messy room. Isaac was never going to let someone hurt him like that again.

He had a room at the Mccall house; he’d had one since this whole business began. It was the guest bedroom before, but Melissa had claimed they didn't get guests often enough for it to be used. In the closet hung clothes that Melissa had bought him throughout the months, as well as a few new shirts from his school of choice. When they got home, she was at work, but she’d left a note on the table and her wonderful mac n cheese in the fridge. It was a Monday, so she was on call.

 _Boys_ \- she wrote. Isaac was one of her boys. _I got called in, go figure, it is a full moon, they always need me on Monday full moons. Be home at 7 AM, but I’m sure you’ll be asleep since it’s senior skip day. Yes, I know about that. Be smart, there’s dinner in the fridge. I love you both._

Scott decided to go out, but Isaac wanted to stay in and unpack. Sleep would be nice. He’d made a big step in his life and it was exhausting. Besides, it was legitimately crazy to go out on a full moon night in Beacon Hills. But, since Scott’s plans were with Stiles and Allison, crazy made sense.

Before going to bed, Isaac set an alarm for 6:45 AM.

When Mrs. Mccall got home, Isaac had set the table with a small breakfast spread. Scrambled eggs, two kinds of cereal, some toast, and orange juice. Plus, coffee for him, since it was his breakfast and her dinner. He wanted to talk to her, thank her for all she’d done for him, and apologize for being the biggest burden ever. It would be a long time until he trusted adults, but he trusted her. Well, enough to know that she had done more for him than his father ever would dream to. And enough to know he wanted to be just like her one day. When he was all healed, he wanted to love like Melissa Mccall. Because when Melissa Mccall loves you, she will do anything for you. Like she did for Scott. And Stiles. And Isaac. When he apologized, her smile was sad, and she promised him he was far down on her list of problems. Hell, grocery shopping was above him (they were pretty low on food), and then she told him about her night at work. Isaac loved her ER stories and would happily listen to them for hours. Unlike Scott who had heard them too many times. Her stories were a source of inspiration on Isaac’s part, hearing what she dealt with and the people she saved. Growing up, Isaac had never let himself dream, had always felt like he’d just take over the cemetery and be stuck forever. He was going to college undeclared, but now he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to help people. Be like Mrs. Mccall. He wondered if she knew any good nursing schools he could potentially attend after his undergrad.

\--

The day Isaac finally sees Erica again, he’s being conned into ice skating with Scott and Boyd. Which is suspicious, because Scott can barely stand on solid ground, much less ice. They had invited Stiles, but he’d declined. Probably a Hale thing. That’s what Scott said at least. It was always a Hale thing with Stiles, so Isaac was pretty sure Scott had just started defaulting to that without even asking. So, Isaac agreed to go skating, and they even borrowed Stiles’ crappy Jeep.

When Isaac got out of the car at the rink, a whir of human came speeding towards him. In his entire life, Isaac had never seen Erica voluntarily run. And she was fast, too, which was weird. He wouldn’t have known it was her if it wasn’t for the squeal and the long blonde hair.

She skid to a half just enough so that her hug didn’t knock all of the life out of him, only some of it. Isaac still had a pretty solid no crying policy for himself, so he was rapidly blinking back tears as he held his best friend tight against his chest. Over her shoulder, he could see Scott and Boyd high-fiving in victory over their surprise, and Isaac just held her even closer. Under her leather jacket, Erica felt… Different. There was no more squishy frailty to her; instead, he felt muscle and as she squeezed him, he could definitely tell that she was a lot stronger.

They stood in full embrace for an entire minute, Erica’s face burrowed into his neck. When they finally pull apart, she’s beaming up at him. (Yes, luckily, she hadn’t mysteriously grown taller as well).

“You’re… you,” she said. “But you’re happy.”

Isaac was happy, which was totally weird and he didn’t really think about it too much. But Erica was right, and now she was back, and he really didn’t need much more in his life. After all, he had a real family in Scott and Mama Mccall. Stiles was comparatively less weird now. Allison and he were complete bros, hanging out to talk about Scott and she even taught Isaac some actual self-defense when he requested it. (Allison was really hard where Scott was really soft. She took no shit and probably gave Stiles more dirty looks than even Isaac did). College was starting in a few months, where he and Boyd were going to be in a lot of the same courses. In fact, Boyd was an amazing friend and it was now officially Isaac’s secret mission to help him date Erica. Life was good. Isaac had real, tangible reasons to be smiling.

They stayed at the rink for longer than predicted, because Scott sucked. And since he sucked so badly, and just kept falling on his ass, Erica made it her goal to teach him. They stayed in the middle of the ring while Isaac and Boyd raced on the outer edge. Every time one of them drew near, Scott and Erica would change their conversation. Which meant Isaac now needed to know what was going on.

On the way home, Isaac pestered Scott to tell him what he and Erica were discussing. Scott was a horrible liar, the worst besides Erica really, but he insisted on sticking to his “nothing” story.

“C’mon, Scott!” Isaac whined, pushing out his lower lip.

Scott gripped the wheel of the Jeep and stared resolutely ahead. “I’m not telling you! It’s private. And, no, I won’t look at you so cut the crap. I know you’re making a puppy dog face.”

One of Scott’s weaknesses was a pouty lip, something Stiles had taught Isaac early on in the friendship. And, when Allison complained about Scott being stubborn about something-or-other, Isaac taught her the trick.

“Pleeeaase,” he begged. “It’s not fair that my two best friends are gossiping about me.”

“No!” Scott was stubborn, but Isaac had broken him before and wasn’t going to give up. By the time they got home, Scott had resorted to mocking Isaac in a babyish voice. The asshole.

When they stumbled through the door, Isaac still begging for information, Stiles was in the kitchen helping prepare dinner. Unexpected, but Scott was excited, and even started doing his happy-to-see-Stiles voice.

“I didn’t mean to make you dinner,” Stiles protested. He insisted that he had just stopped by, assuming they’d be back by now when Mrs. Mccall then “bullied” him into helping her cook. While Scott scolded his mom and she fought with Stiles, Isaac leaned against the doorway laughing. The thought that Stiles could be bullied into spending time in the Mccall house was ridiculous.

Then, it was announced that Stiles was making potatoes, and Scott’s entire tune changed. He began acting like the kitchen was holy ground and that dinner was now sacred. Isaac was forcibly dragged into the dining room, where he then had to listen to Scott talk reverently about these potatoes.

“Stiles’ mom used to make them all the time when we were kids. They were the best ever, and oh man... when you pair them with my mom’s mac n cheese? I’d want that as my meal on death row. But then, you know… After she died… Well, no one could really make the potatoes right. We were 10 and Mr. Stilinski tried. Mom tried, too, but they were never that good. But then Stiles made up a batch because his dad wasn’t eating? Just like drinking and little Stiles wanted to fix it? So, anyway, he made them, and they were perfect. Just like his mom’s. Only Stiles can make these God sent potatoes. It’s magical.”

Isaac just smiled at Scott. “Alright, alright, I believe you. Now, lets set the table. These holy potatoes deserve some labor.” Chores used to be how Isaac proved himself, so doing them for Mrs. Mccall was never a problem. It was the least he could do.

They all sat down for dinner, and Stiles served everyone a healthy helping of his potatoes. He and Isaac sat on either side of Scott, where they both pretty much knew they belonged. There was plenty of happy conversation around the table tonight.

It’s a little strange, the four of them eating together. Not bad strange, just different. Stiles of old would have been so jealous of Isaac. But this Stiles had pushed the unlikely pair together - and pushed Scott towards Allison. New Stiles, improved Stiles, had adopted the Hales, helped fixed Erica’s illnesses (no one could convince Isaac that Stiles didn’t have a hand in that), improved Boyd’s life, and was the catalyst to Isaac’s rescue. This was something that Stiles would have never done. Scott was always really shy and Stiles had never been one for friends, so it had been the two of them. The idea of sharing Scott was almost laughable to him. Now, if anything, Isaac was like the old Stiles. He hated letting go of Scott and the fact that they wouldn’t be attending the same college kind of sucked. When Scott went on dates with Allison, Isaac missed him. He hated that Stiles was Scott’s best friend first. Isaac kind of loved Scott and was kind of the jealous friend that Stiles had been. Of course, the potatoes were fucking perfect, and he hated that they were so good because they served as a reminder that Stiles’ is #1 in Scott’s life. Save maybe Allison, but she honestly was probably below Stiles, too. Isaac knew it and had long since accepted it. But also, sometimes, he liked to forget it. But these potatoes, these potatoes were symbolic. God sent symbolic of a long standing friendship between the Mccall family and the Stilinski family. And it was a reminder to Isaac that no matter what happened, Stiles was a family with the McCalls. Isaac knew he was family, as well, so it was time for Isaac to give in more to Stiles.

Okay, Isaac owed Stiles a lot of slack... He did kind of do all the aforementioned fixing of lives, and he meant a lot to Scott. Plus, if he kept making these potatoes, he was in danger of being the next object of Isaac’s platonic love. Derek Hale should probably watch his back, Isaac decided, as he spooned another large helping of potatoes on to his plate.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise a "Isaac finds out about werewolves piece" soon? But only if you guys would like one. I can only imagine Erica explaining _that_ to him.
> 
> Lastly, my apologies about any grammar. Not having anyone check my work is hard because I maniacally write for hours straight and then forget to proof read...


	2. holy shit they wrote another part to this?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac finally learns the truth about Beacon Hills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's two years later and I've written something that technically counts as a second and promised chapter to the fic. In case you don't want to reread chapter one, I've reminded ya'll of some details important in Play it Again and chapter one throughout this chapter (I sure hope so at least). I hope you enjoy!

The day Isaac Lahey found out about werewolves was the day a lot of shit started making a _lot_ of fucking sense.

Not just werewolves, but pixies and hunters and magic and multiple universes...but apparently no vampires, not that anyone has discovered at least. Because vampires would be just too crazy. Apparently, vampires would be just too crazy in any universe.

The supernatural stuff didn’t actually make an ounce of sense, initially but if it was real it made everything else suddenly logical. Like why bodies had been showing up all over the place around the same time Stiles decided to change everyone’s lives. Or why the Hales had taken sudden interest in Stiles, why Stiles had taken interest in Erica, and why Scott had adopted Isaac.

“Beacon Hills is never safe on the full moon,” Scott reminded Isaac, the day they decided to finally tell him the truth.

Of course, no one told Isaac at a reasonable time. Such as when they took Erica away for a year. Might have been nice to tell him then. Or maybe they could have told him when he first decided to move into the Mccall household and get to know Scott. After all, Stiles had decided the Mccalls should adopt Isaac _after _he’d accidentally died and shown up in their world, replacing their Stiles.__

__Isaac wasn’t sure that they’d even ever meant to tell him, which made him a little bitter because he thought Erica would have trusted him more than that. It was right before they were all going away for college because suddenly Isaac was sharing a room with Scott and Stiles instead of Boyd. Boyd was going away for (you guessed it) a year and Isaac couldn’t hold in his suspicions any longer. When Erica disappeared for a year, he was willing to swallow the lies about an experimental treatment. But this time, it didn’t make sense._ _

__“You have to tell me the truth,” he told Erica, standing in the door of his bedroom so she couldn’t escape. “You can’t lie to me anymore - Boyd is perfectly healthy, it doesn’t make sense to have him disappear for a year. Plus, I’m sorry, but this has been established: mystery treatments for a seizure disorder don’t turn you buff and get you a found family, Erica.”_ _

__She didn’t even look ashamed for being called out, which infuriated Isaac. Back when they only had each other, she’d have never lied to him. But now he had the Mccalls and she had the entirety of the Hale family. They finally expanded past their strange co-dependencies and he’d suddenly lost his best friend. But they’d both gained families and it felt bittersweet._ _

__Erica slowly took out her phone and typed out a rapid text. When she noticed him still glaring, she shrugged. “I can’t tell you the truth without the pack.”_ _

__Which is how Isaac found himself at the Hale household (of all places)._ _

__Isaac didn’t take it well. Probably the understatement of a century, actually. Isaac found himself in the Hale household, puking his guts out in a bathroom because nothing in his world was making sense anymore. It was too much to handle. Maybe he could have handled the concept that magic existed or that werewolves existed. But everything piled on top of itself was too much. The worst was that there were multiple universes and that the Stiles who had been orchestrating all of the changes in Isaac’s world wasn’t even...from Isaac’s world. He wasn’t the same Stiles who broke Erica’s heart in middle school. And he was doing everything to save everyone in this world from some horrible fate that had befallen them all in his world. A fate that had cost Stiles his own life and brought him into this world._ _

__Erica was a werewolf. She’d shown him her fangs and creepy eyes and that’s when he needed to throw up. He could feel the bile rising up because seeing that made it all feel so real. He was in a room full of werewolves and Stiles was a magician from another world and apparently, he’d missed a lot while he was busy just being a plain old human. It was all too much and Isaac couldn’t take it. It hurt, even more, knowing that they’d all lied to him for a year. That Scott lied and Erica lied and Stiles lied. Well, the latter was to be expected. But Scott? Erica? Scott was the worst liar on the planet and before it all Isaac would be able to tell you what Erica was thinking based on how she was breathing._ _

__There was a light knock at the door. Isaac looked up, expecting to see Erica, and was surprised to see Stiles in the doorway instead. Isaac shakily wiped his chin, staring up at Stiles with what he knew was barely disguised anguish on his face. Because the worst of it all was that Stiles really did know about Isaac’s life. He knew Isaac was being beaten, he knew Isaac was helpless, and he didn’t offer him the same out as he’d offered Erica. As he was apparently offering Boyd, now. He’d just sent puppy dog Scott after Isaac and forced Melissa Mccall to clean up his mess. And it’s not that Isaac didn’t appreciate it. He loved his room at the Mccall’s, he loved his found family, he loved mac n cheese and being loved. But. Stiles could have handed him an easy ticket out of the situation instead of a messy experience in which Isaac kept trying to save Melissa Mccall from caring about him._ _

__“Why not me?” Isaac managed to choke out finally, noticing how Stiles visibly sagged against the doorframe. He looked positively exhausted when he had to talk about his past world. It made sense after all Stiles had endured in that world. Stiles was eaten by a werewolf, after watching most of his pack die. Or so Isaac understood, it had been a bit hard to follow. He just really knew Stiles had died and ended up here. The rest had been hard to follow._ _

__“Because when we let you become a werewolf, it didn’t really fix anything.” Stiles seemed hesitant to tell Isaac the truth. Was the Isaac of the other universe that broken? Was he a horrible person? Was that who Isaac would have become in this world if Mama Mccall hadn’t been so stubborn? Isaac felt like a horrible person in this universe already, which was a byproduct of being told he was a problem over and over again throughout his life._ _

__Stiles crouched next to Isaac, hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder. Isaac fought the urge to wrench himself away. “When Derek forced the bite on you, you became...angrier, I guess. More volatile. Things were a lot different in my old world. Derek thought the bite might save you, save him, but in the end...it only caused you more pain.”_ _

__And Stiles tells Isaac a horrible story. Turns out, Stiles’s old world really wasn’t that pretty. Also, as predicted, there just doesn’t seem to be a universe in which Isaac catches a break. In Stiles’s old world, Isaac’s life seemed actually worse. In fact, Isaac was morbidly grateful that all his dad inflicted on him in this world didn’t seem to hold a candle to what he did to him in the other world. Of course, in the other world, Isaac’s dad was dead. It took death to get Isaac away from his dad and it didn’t seem like he ever really escaped the memories enough to be okay. And the Derek of the other world was pretty twisted. He and Scott had both decided that pushing Isaac was the right way to heal him. So, Isaac was pretty grateful he lived in the world he did. In this world, Mama Mccall was his hero._ _

__After Stiles’s story, Isaac felt...better. Less nauseous and more ready to look Erica in the eye again. Stiles stood up first, pulling Isaac up when he finally forced a smile on his face. “Hey Stiles?”_ _

__“Hey Isaac?”_ _

__“Thanks.”_ _

__Stiles just gave him a sad smile. “It was the very least I could do for you to keep you safe.”_ _

__\---_ _

__The day Isaac learned about werewolves was the day a lot of shit started making a fucking lot of sense._ _

__Erica’s mystery treatment was actually a training period. Talia Hale had gifted Erica with the Bite, which could have killed her but instead made her a literal Wonder Woman. Ever since she’d “come back,” Isaac had noticed a hardness and a confidence about his best friend. She smiled more and the smile actually reached her eyes. She wasn’t having seizures anymore, her muscles were lean and toned, and she’d even started hanging out with the entire Hale family. Which had confused Isaac the most, but then on Stiles’s 18th birthday he’d launched himself halfway across the room to make out with Derek Hale so...well, he couldn’t judge Erica for her tastes. Nothing about the Hales made any sense, but at least Erica wasn’t making out with Derek Hale in a room full of people._ _

__The Hales also started making sense. Why they’d taken a sudden interest in Erica, for starters. And why they started taking interest in Stiles. It also explained why so many Hales lived under one roof. As a pack, they were stronger together. After Isaac learned about werewolves, he got to know the Hales a lot better. The twins were mischievous but fun and the pack was so warm and welcoming. They clearly loved Erica and Stiles as if they were their own. Not all of the Hales were werewolves, which had surprised Isaac. Some were humans, but they radiated pure toughness the way their more lupine family members did as well. After getting to know the family, he actually started pitying the Derek Hale of the other universe. To have your entire pack die and have your uncle go crazy...it had to be awful. No wonder other!Derek had turned a bunch of teenagers into fucking werewolves. He needed a pack. Isaac hoped the other universe Isaac had eventually found it in him to forgive Derek. Even though thoughts like that continued to confuse him._ _

__All of the pieces fell into place. Isaac even forgave Stiles for not asking the Hales to give him the bite; in fact, Isaac was grateful. If Isaac had been given the Bite a year ago, his life would probably not be this good. That anger inside him, that poison...it would have probably taken control of him. The way Stiles went about things was a lot better._ _

__Boyd had adjusted quite well. Apparently, other!Erica had gone pretty scary in the other universe, which was part of the reason Stiles needed the Hales to give Boyd the bite. Apparently, Boyd and Erica were as destined to be in the other universe as this one; Boyd was her anchor. Her other anchor was Laura. He understood anchors, now. However, pack dynamics remained so foreign to Isaac. He didn’t ask about a lot of it - he figured there were some things it would be strange to pester the pack about it._ _

__Scott was still human, thankfully. Apparently, in the other universe, he’d been a werewolf and that had really changed a lot of the events. But, according to Stiles, Isaac was always meant to “be Scott’s.” Whatever that meant, he didn’t know, but he also kind of got it. Even if werewolves didn’t exist in their lives, humans had their own packs. Isaac was always meant to be part of Scott’s pack. Isaac was always meant to be a Mccall. In fact, there was a point where he considered changing his last name, but then he decided to keep Lahey. It felt like a vengeance against his father in some way, to keep his name. To make a name for himself out of the name of the man who tried to beat the spirit out of him._ _

__Allison had also begun to make a lot of sense. She mistrusted Stiles more than Isaac did, which was how they’d really started bonding in the first place. It turns out, his gut reactions about the hardness of Allison Argent had been correct, which he’d already figured out from the self-defense lessons she’d been giving him. Over the course of their friendship, Allison had taught Isaac how to defend himself and properly wield a knife. He just hadn’t thought to question why she needed these skills, but now he knew. She came from a family of hunters and she was secretly a little scary. In a world of the supernatural, hunters held their own, even if they were supposed to be retired._ _

__It even explained why Lydia Martin was associating with all of them. Isaac had never expected Lydia to give him the time of day. It had shocked the entire school when she interacted with Stiles more than once. When Allison came into the picture, she was the connecting force, but the school was still shocked. Somehow, accepting that Stiles ran with the Hale family was easier for most people (including Isaac) to swallow. Turns out, you can’t ask Lydia to translate intense ancient languages without getting her involved in your supernatural shit. Luckily she wasn’t a banshee, unlike other!Lydia. Apparently, in Stiles’s original world, Lydia was in his pack. She had been dragged through hell and back and it had pained him to get her involved in this universe. Jackson had even been kinder to Isaac at lacrosse practices; he suspected Allison had a hand in that. Danny just remained incredulous at the way the social order of high school had been completely fucked up._ _

__After a while, Isaac was able to accept it all without a headache. The Hales were always willing to explain werewolf things to him, Lydia gave him translated portions of the Argent bestiary, Allison continued to train him but now training included defenses against the supernatural, and Mama Mccall continued to be his safe haven in the shitstorm that was now his life. It was all fitting together and making sense._ _

__Everything except one thing. The creepy as hell tattoo on Stiles that made him more a part of the pack than Isaac or Scott could ever hope to be. There was something morbid about it; even the tree the guy was tied to seem twisted and wrong. Stiles tried to explain the tattoo to Isaac and he kind of got it. He’d learned not to question magic and therefore knew not to question how one could get a magic tattoo that let them know how certain generations of certain bloodlines were feeling. Or something. He especially didn’t like to use the word Stiles did… “binding.” What was really hard to wrap his head around is that Stiles wanted to add him to the tattoo._ _

__“What do you mean, you want to bind me to you?” He winced at the way his voice cracked, betraying his fear. His fear that Stiles blessedly _couldn’t_ sense because they weren’t creepily bonded yet._ _

__“It’s not as creepy as you think, I swear!” Stiles seemed anxious like there was an urgency to everything that Isaac wasn’t getting. “All it really means it I’ll know how you’re doing and I can protect you.”_ _

__“What if I don’t need protecting?” Isaac was lying through his teeth and to himself. He always needed protection; one of the first things Stiles did upon coming to this world was protect Isaac. “Because I don’t.”_ _

__“Isaac, you’re lying.”_ _

__“What if I don’t _want_ protection?”_ _

__“Well, that’s not a lie, you’re annoyingly independent.” Ironic that Stiles of all people would call him annoying. “But you’re part of my pack Isaac and I want to be able to be there if you need it. It doesn’t affect you in any way or change your life. I just can help you.”_ _

__It took a couple of these conversations for Isaac to give in. When he finally did, Scott had a lot to do with it. Stiles was Scott’s family and Isaac had long since accepted that meant Stiles was part of his. He just didn’t want such a deeply permanent and, well, binding reminder of that relationship._ _

__In a morbid way though, he felt relief. Relief that Stiles and his fancy tattoo would always know how he was feeling. Relief that Erica could now smell the emotions on him, as could all of the Hale family. Sometimes, Isaac himself didn’t know how he felt. The deep-seated dissociation and numbness he felt as a residual effect of his abuse meant that some days went by with complete apathy to the entire world. Maybe being part of this pack meant he’d find a piece of him that was missing._ _

__After Isaac found out, everything in the world made sense to him. Like werewolves, humans themselves need packs. Isaac’s pack all went to the same college because after the hell Stiles had endured, Scott still wasn’t letting him out of his sight. And Scott also wouldn’t let Isaac out of his sight. Allison figured the boys would fall to shit without her. Lydia, of course, did not follow them to college but she Skypes in all the time. He misses Boyd but Derek gives them constant updates on his health. Because Derek is in their dorm room every chance he can be... And Erica, of course. She chose to stay with the Hale pack to train Boyd, to teach him how to anchor himself to the world the way they taught her. Once Boyd is well enough, Isaac starts coming home more often to spend time with him. To learn who Boyd is when he has a reason to be confident and strong. And of course, he uses these as chances to see Melissa and bring mac n cheese to back to the dorm for Scott._ _

__It didn’t come as a surprise to him the day Talia Hale offered him the Bite. He asks her for time to think about it. He knows he’s a lot different than the Isaac that Stiles knew; he doesn’t think he’d become the anger-fueled wolf of the other universe. In this world, his world, he had a pack. There are already people to anchor him. Mama Mccall to remind him that he is worthy of love. Unlike the other Isaac, this Isaac isn’t being hurt anymore. He thinks he could control it._ _

__But he needs time to think._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm of course terrified that I am in some way ruining the universe by the decisions I'm making, but I was too afraid to send a message to mestiket to find out if Boyd or Isaac ever become werewolves in the Play it Again verse. All credit to the universe, of course, goes to mestiket and the original character concepts to Teen Wolf.
> 
> Thank you guys for loving chapter one of this. I hope I didn't let you down two years later with chapter two. It's a little bit shorter than chapter one and a long time coming. I originally read Play it Again in 2015 and immediately handwrote the first chapter of this fic in a notebook at 2 in the morning. Ironically, it's two in the morning once more but this time I typed it out instead of cramped my hand over 4k words. I did promise you guys an Isaac-finds-out fic, didn't I?

**Author's Note:**

> Obligatory disclaimers here: All characters belong to Teen Wolf and many events are taken from ["It Doesn't Hurt,"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2034597) the work that inspired this piece. Literally I can take no credit. Ah, fan fiction.
> 
> I love to beta read but I never ask anyone to do it for me...and for that, I'm sorry.


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